Fall reminds us of area's beauty

Autumn is always my favorite time of the year. Not only is it the beginning of hunting season, but fall coloration adds to the enjoyment of all outdoor activities.

Whether you are at the lake, in the mountains or just in your back yard, our crisp, cool mornings and warm, sunny afternoons are ideal for outdoor activity.

Last weekend I enjoyed some archery hunting for elk, and then did some grouse hunting. Grouse numbers for both blue and ruffed grouse are good this year.

Later that day, I cut some firewood for my cabin. I already had plenty of firewood, but during early fall, it seems unnatural not to cut some firewood. Firewood gathering, hunting and enjoying fall colors are part of our autumn heritage in Northwest Montana.

Montana citizens are fortunate to have a large amount of nearby public land where we can enjoy fall outings. In addition to public land, we are grateful to Plum Creek Timber Co. for allowing continued free, public recreational use of their vast land holdings.

Locally, Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. allows free public use of its 32,000 acres of land near the Flathead Valley. We can help keep these lands open by respecting their recreation use rules. The primary rule is to observe their road closures.

If a road is gated, even if the gate is unlocked and open, don't go through the gate. Sometimes gates are open for authorized logging or other land management activity, but not open for recreation users. Report any road-closure violations that you see.

In spite of a recent letter by a Rexford resident who referred to hunting as the "slaughter of the innocents," the majority of Montana citizens support hunting.

A 1999 survey indicated that 94 percent of Montana citizens approve of the legal harvest of game animals. Game animals such as deer, elk, antelope and grouse are renewable natural resources that provide millions of pounds of healthy meat for Montana families each year. Only 4 percent of those surveyed oppose hunting.

Hunting and the gathering of wild food is a tradition as old as the human race. More than 40 percent of Northwest Montana citizens hunt and 61 percent fish.

Our ancestors settled this nation by living off its natural bounty of game and fish. That type of subsistence and market hunting nearly destroyed many species of game animals. Starting around 1900, conservationists, led by hunters, took the lead in restoring our wildlife populations.

Around 1900, there were less than one million deer in the United States and less than 100,000 elk. Today, due to scientific wildlife management and money from hunting license sales and an excise tax on hunting gear, wildlife populations have rebounded. Now there are more than 30 million whitetail deer and more than a million elk. Wild turkeys have a wider geographic distribution now than when the pilgrims stepped ashore.

Wildlife management professionals refer to this as the North American Wildlife Model. This wildlife management model has made bountiful game and nongame wildlife resources available to every citizen. We are the envy of the world.

Montanan citizens enjoy the best hunting opportunities of any state. Hunters can be proud of our heritage and accomplishments.

How many of you have ever seen an albino bull elk?

A couple of years ago, Ryan Wood, a Kalispell hunter, harvested this extremely rare game animal in the Thompson River drainage.

That animal is now on temporary display at the Three Rivers Bank on Meridian Road. When the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation finishes its new headquarters in Missoula, the albino elk will be moved to Missoula.

Albinos are rare in nature. What makes this bull especially rare is that it lived to be a 2 1/2-year- old animal. Most albinos cannot easily hide from predators so they rarely live beyond a year. Stop in to see this unique animal while it is still on display locally.

Next week, my wife and I will be moose hunting in Canada. Lucky us!